Open AccessNutrient availability and senescence spatially structure the dynamics of a foundation species
Author(s) -
Tom W. Bell,
David A. Siegel
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.2105135118
Subject(s) - abundance (ecology) , ecosystem , ecology , kelp , biology , population , environmental science , spatial ecology , demography , sociology
Significance Landscapes are spatially heterogeneous, and the measurement of spatial pattern is dependent upon observation scale. Understanding plant populations requires assessing their extrinsic interactions with the environment as well as intrinsic biological processes and has been difficult because of the inability to track both plant abundance and health on appropriate scales. We introduce remote sensing observations that assess the abundance and health of giant kelp, an important ecosystem-structuring species, over regional and local scales. We find that both extrinsic nutrient availability and intrinsic senescence processes regulate population dynamics but on regional and local scales, respectively. This suggests that future satellite missions will be able to assess plant abundance and health and their interactions with the environment on local to global scales.